1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to the field of bearings, and in particular to split bearings.
2. Background Discussion
Split bearings, i.e., a bearing with both the inner and outer race formed in two parts have been used in industry for various applications for a number of years. U.S. Pat. No. 3,304,140 is an example of such a bearing.
One of the important advantages of a split bearing is its ease of assembly and disassembly. During periodic maintenance or overall operations, the disassembly feature is quite helpful in avoiding unnecessary or excessive dismantling of associated equipment.
A disadvantage of split bearings is that they are more expensive to fabricate, and also they are more prone to failure due to the fact that they comprise sections (parts such as noted above) which are necessarily load bearing. Whenever a structural part is subject to load, forming the structural part in sections inherently tends to weaken the part. The cut surface, in particular, can experience fretting. Fretting can lead to bearing failure. One reason fretting is a problem is because the mating cut surfaces move relative to each other.
Accordingly, bearing designers have focused their attention on reducing the relative motion of the cut surfaces.